PLEASE NOTE: The Carrot Museum does not recommend
self diagnosis or self medication. The information contained in this web
site has not been verified for correctness. Some of the information contained
herein is hearsay and may not be correct. Use the information from this page
only at your own risk! If in doubt consult a doctor.Note: If you have diabetes it is recommended you
read this
before eating
carrots. Speak to your doctor or health-care provider
about vitamin A rich carotenoids if you have diabetes or are at risk for
developing the condition;
Read more

As a general rule, the Carrot Museum does not support taking many supplements,
optimal health comes from whole foods. You can't fool your body by taking
handfuls of supplements while still eating a junk food diet

You CAN eat the green leaves of carrots - read more. Microwaving retains more goodness - read
more Home recipes for face/body products -
read more

Good for your eyes? - of course! It’s something
your mother told you time and time again at the dinner table: “Eat your carrots,
they’ll help you see better!” So was she right? The question is answered very
clearly with the help of chemist Chad Jones, Ph.D., host of the award-winning
Collapsed Wave Function podcast. Check out the video here:
http://youtu.be/w3DNScZYvYY.

Introduction
Let us start with a brief history of Medicine and Nutrition -

Patient "I am sick".

Physicians responses:
3500 years ago - "Here eat this root"
2500 year ago - "That root is heathen - say this prayer"
150 years ago - "That is superstition - drink this potion"
50 years ago - "That potion is snake oil - take this pill"
15 years ago - "That pill is no good, take this antibiotic"
Today - "that is not natures way - here eat this root"

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the following nutrient
content descriptors for carrots:

Fat Free

Saturated Fat Free.

Low Sodium

Cholesterol Free

Good Source of Fibre

High in Vitamin A

Nutrition specialists often say there is no point in people focussing on how to
eat vegetables until they are eating enough of them in the first place! very
true

History of Plant Use in Medicine - Through observations and experiments,
ancient man determined the potential uses of the plants that surrounded them.
Through trial and error, and observation of animal intake, they found plants that were agreeable or distasteful,
edible or poisonous, that could heal, cure or kill. Plants with strong tastes or
aromas were selected to alleviate illness and enhance food. The pre-historic
discovery that certain plants have healing powers whilst others are inedible or
cause harm, even death, is the origins of the healing professions and its
practitioners - priest, physician and apothecary - to the sciences of botany and
horticulture.

No one knows where or when plants first began to be used to treat disease.
Accidental discovery of some new plant food that eased pain might have been the
beginning of folk knowledge. Early evidence comes from the grave of a
Neanderthal man buried 60,000 years ago; Pollen analysis indicated that plants
buried with the corpse were all of medicinal value. The earliest written record
is a 4,000 year old Sumerian clay tablet recording numerous plant remedies.
Cuneiform tablets recovered from the library of Ashurbanipal (circa 2000 BCE)
contain detailed descriptions of the preparation of numerous remedies.

These ancient records indicate that in all parts of the world native
peoples discovered and developed medicinal uses of local plants. Herbal
medicine of ancient Greece laid the foundations of Western medicine. Greek
physician Hippocrates (460-377 B.C.), the Father of Medicine used various
herbal remedies in his treatments. Theophrastus is called the Father of
Botany. Roman physician Dioscorides (1st century A.D.) wrote De Materia
Medica which contained an account of over 600 species of plants with
medicinal value.

De Materia Medica Pharmacopoeia which was universally used in the
Greek, Roman and Arab worlds from the 2nd century until the 16th century. In De Materia Medica, Dioscorides listed 600 plants, 90 minerals and 30 animal
products, with a drawing of each one and a note of its therapeutic
properties. Illustrations from De Materia Medica are shown in the
history pages and in particular a page dedicated
to carrot iconography in manuscripts - here.

General Nutrition -

The Carrot is an economically important horticultural crop that has gained
popularity since world War Two (ended 1945) due to increased awareness of its
nutritional value. Orange carrots are highly revered as “good for the eyes” due
to their high content of hydrocarbon carotenoids, a class of phytochemicals that
are often precursors to vitamin A. α- and β-Carotene predominate in orange
carrots.

The storage root of the carrot is the most commonly consumed portion of the
plant, although the tender young foliage is occasionally used as a stir-fried
herb and in salads in China and Japan (Rubatzky and others, 1999), and
other culinary methods (carrot green page here).
Carrot roots do not supply a significant amount of calories to the human diet (an
average 6 inch carrot contains about 40 calories), but do supply nutrition
in the form of phytochemicals, such as carotenoids, anthocyanins, and other
phenolic compounds. The greatest nutritional interest in carrots stems from
their phytochemical content, but research has also focused on carrots as a
source of fibre.

Carrots are nutritional heroes, they store a goldmine of nutrients. Few other
vegetables or fruit contain as much carotene as carrots,
which the body converts to vitamin A. This is a truly versatile vegetable
and an excellent source of vitamins B and C as well as calcium pectate, an
extraordinary pectin fibre that has been found to have cholesterol-lowering
properties. The high level of beta-carotene is very important and gives carrots
their distinctive orange colour.

The carrot is an herbaceous plant containing about 87% water, rich in mineral
salts and vitamins (B,C &,E).

Carrots are an excellent source of
vitamin A, providing 210% of the average adult's needs for theday. They
also provide 6% of vitamin C needs, 2% of calcium needs and 2% of iron
needs per serving.

They are also a good source of potassium, vitamins B6, copper, folic acid,
thiamine and magnesium. Carrots also contain fibre, vitamin K, potassium,
folate, manganese, phosphorous, magnesium, vitamin E and zinc.
Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps
controlling heart rate and blood pressure by countering effects of sodium.

Carrots also contain, in smaller amounts, essential oils, carbohydrates and
nitrogenous composites. They are well-known for their sweetening, antianaemic,
healing, diuretic, remineralizing and sedative properties.

In order to assimilate the greatest quantity of the nutrients present in
carrots, it is important to chew them well - they are the exception to the
rule - they are more nutritious cooked than raw.
Why?
Click
here to find out.

Also most of the goodness is actually in, or just below
the carrot peel. (Read more here) Carrots are one of the best sources of carotene which is a strong
antioxidant, but carrots also contain other phenolic compounds that are
antioxidants. Many people do not realize that numerous phenolic compounds are
located in the skin of fruit and vegetables, many of which are removed by
peeling prior to processing. (Phenolic compounds and their antioxidant properties
in different tissues of carrots (Daucus carota L.)Donglin Zhang and Yasunori
Hamauzu* Sciences of Functional Foods, Graduate School of Agriculture, Shinshu
University, January 2004.)

Abstract

Phenolic compounds, their antioxidant properties and distribution in
carrots were investigated in this study. Carrots contained mainly
hydroxycinnamic acids and derivatives. Among them chlorogenic acid was a
major hydroxycinnamic acid, representing from 42.2% to 61.8% of total
phenolic compounds detected in different carrot tissues. The phenolic
contents in different tissues decreased in the following order: peel >
phloem > xylem. Although carrot peel accounted for only 11.0% of the
amount of the carrot fresh weight, it could provide 54.1% of the amount of
total phenolics in 100 g fresh weight of carrots, while the phloem tissue
provides 39.5% and the xylem tissue provides only 6.4%. Antioxidant and
radical scavenging activities in different tissues decreased in the same
order as phenolic content and correlated well with total phenolic
contents. All phenolic extracts had stronger radical scavenging ability
than pure chlorogenic acid, vitamin C and β-carotene. Therefore, we
suggest that phenolics could play an important role in antioxidant
properties in carrots and other hydroxycinnamic derivatives such as
dicaffeoylquinic acids in the extracts may exert some strong antioxidant
activities along with chlorogenic acid.

Carrot greens can be eaten and are high in
vitamin K, which is low in the composition of the carrot root itself. read more.

Scientists have given us another reason to eat carrots - Falcarinol a compound found in
the popular root vegetable has been found to have an effect on the development
of cancer. - read more

Nutrition is the cornerstone of good health. As we go through life, there
are so many illnesses that could have been prevented with better nutrition.
This has been proven beyond any shadow of doubt over the past few years.
Research has proven that getting the proper level of antioxidants into our
bloodstream will reduce the risk of cancer. Consumption of carrots increases
the level of key antioxidants in the bloodstream. See more
on antioxidants here.

Vitamin supplements are not normally necessary if you have a balanced diet.
Eat whole food and feel good knowing that you've got nutrition from nature's
gifts going through your body every day. Good health never came out
of a bottle or capsule.

The power and goodness of carrots
-
Carrots have many important vitamins and minerals.

They are rich in antioxidants
Beta Carotene, Alpha Carotene, Phytochemicals and Glutathione,
Calcium and Potassium, and vitamins A, B1, B2, C, and E, which are also
considered antioxidants, protecting as well as nourishing the skin. They contain
a form of calcium easily absorbed by the body. Finally they also contain Copper,
Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorous. and Sulphur - better than a wonder
drug!!

Carrot can
enhance the quality of breast milk. It can improve the appearance of the skin,
hair and nails. When taken daily it can lower cholesterol and blood pressure.
Raw carrot contains beta-carotene, a strong antioxidant that can prevent cancer.
Carrot juice when taken every day prevents bodily infections and is claimed to
be valuable for the adrenal glands (the small endocrine glands situated above
the kidneys). Carrot can help improve eye health. Carrot can help increase
menstrual flow. Carrot can regulate blood sugar. Carrot can promote colon
health, because it is rich in fibre.

Carrot is
also helpful in the following cases: Obesity, poisoning of the blood, gum
disease, insomnia, inflamed kidney, liver, gallbladder, Alzheimer's disease,
colitis, ulcer and painful urination. Carrots are one of the richest sources of
Vitamin A. Carotene present in this vegetable gets converted into Vitamin A by
our body. It is indeed amazing that a mere 100grams of carrot supplies around
11,000 milligrams of vitamin A.

Other major
minerals present in carrot include sulphur, phosphorous and magnesium. The three minerals calcium, phosphorus and magnesium are essential for
ensuring the strength of bones. Phosphorus is essential for the health of skin,
hair and nerves. The vital magnesium content present in fresh carrot enables
mental development, digestion of fats and the metabolism of mineral salts such
as calcium, phosphorus, sodium, and potassium. Sulphur also forms a major
ingredient of insulin, the hormonal function of which is to convert
carbohydrates into energy. Chlorine can be present in carrot from the processing
method, this element is vital for the proper functioning of liver. provides a
cleansing and antiseptic effect on the digestive and circulatory systems, but
can of course be obtained from other sources.

Another
nutrient in carrot, which deserves mention is Vitamin E, the muscle vitamin. It
promotes the efficiency of the entire muscular system by the effective
utilisation of oxygen.

Read this interesting article by Dr A Tabor MD - "The
Healthy Glow of Carrots", which explains why you should make carrots and
other beta-carotene rich foods part of your daily eating pattern as a smart,
skin-healthy choice. (pdf)

Important Note - The chemical constituents of carrot are not there by
chance, but perform a function. Many constituents of the orange carrot we now
cultivate are also in the white root of the wild carrot, Queen Anne's lace, from
which our carrot was developed. This is true of falcarinol, falcarindiol, and
myristicin. Carotene (present in small amounts in Queen Anne's lace) has been
increased by centuries of selection. Volatile oils have been decreased in this
process. Plant scientists must continue to monitor all known constituents
nutritive and non-nutritive - as new cultivars of the carrot are developed to
keep our vegetables nutritious and safe. Plant breeding for the sake of high
yields, appearance, and keeping quality will not be sufficient.

Carrots used to be better! - Vegetables grown decades ago were much
richer in vitamins and minerals than the varieties most of us get today. The
main culprit in this disturbing nutritional trend is soil depletion: Modern
intensive agricultural methods have stripped increasing amounts of nutrients
from the soil in which the food we eat grows. Sadly, each successive generation
of fast-growing, pest-resistant carrot is truly less good for you than the one
before.

A landmark study on the topic by Donald Davis and his team of researchers from
the University of Texas (UT) at Austin’s Department of Chemistry and
Biochemistry was published in December 2004 in the Journal of the American
College of Nutrition. They studied U.S. Department of Agriculture nutritional
data from both 1950 and 1999 for 43 different vegetables and fruits, finding
“reliable declines” in the amount of protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron,
riboflavin (vitamin B2) and vitamin C over the past half century. Davis and his
colleagues chalk up this declining nutritional content to the preponderance of
agricultural practices designed to improve traits (size, growth rate, pest
resistance) other than nutrition.

The Organic Consumers Association cites several other studies with similar
findings: A Kushi Institute analysis of nutrient data from 1975 to 1997 found
that average calcium levels in 12 fresh vegetables dropped 27 percent; iron
levels 37 percent; vitamin A levels 21 percent, and vitamin C levels 30 percent.
A similar study of British nutrient data from 1930 to 1980, published in the
British Food Journal, found that in 20 vegetables the average calcium content
had declined 19 percent; iron 22 percent; and potassium 14 percent.

The key to healthier produce is healthier soil. Alternating fields between
growing seasons to give land time to restore would be one important step. Also,
foregoing pesticides and fertilizers in favour of organic growing methods is
good for the soil, the produce and its consumers. Those who want to get the most
nutritious fruits and vegetables should buy regularly from local organic
farmers. Vegetables aren’t as healthy as they used to be doesn’t mean we should
avoid them.

Vegetables are still extraordinarily rich in nutrients and beneficial
phytochemicals and vegetables and fruit are our best sources for these.

Carrots contain elements that keep us healthy on many
levels.

The 3 most important elements areBeta-carotene, Alpha Carotene, and Phytochemicals.

Beta carotene usually receives most attention
when examining carrots. It is one of about 500 similar compounds called carotenoids, which are present in many fruits and vegetables.

Beta-carotene is not, in itself, a vital nutrient for humans; however, the human
body converts it into vitamin A, which we do need. The benefit of beta-carotene
being our source of vitamin A is that our bodies won’t produce excess amount of
the vitamin, which can be toxic when consumed to overzealously, or in pill form.
There are two forms of vitamin A we get from our food. Pre-formed vitamin A,
retinol, which is animal-based, and carotenoids, which are plant-based.
Beta-carotene is one of the most readily available carotenoids and is found
abundantly in carrots.

The body changes
beta carotene into vitamin A, which is important in strengthening the immune
system, keeping the skin, lungs and intestinal track in order, and promoting
healthy cell growth. Beta-carotene is found primarily in dark green, red,
yellow, and orange-coloured plants, and is converted by the body into vitamin
A and also works on its own. Photo of beta carotene under the microscope.

Because beta-carotene is an antioxidant, and anti-oxidants are important in
the fight against heart disease, studies have found that high doses of beta
carotene may lower the risk of heart disease by as much as 45%.

However, the same studies
also show that high levels of beta carotene taken in pill form, don’t work.
Further, a study conducted in the United States showed that participants who ate
about 1 cup of carrots a day, reduced their blood cholesterol levels by
approximately 11%. This was attributed to the high soluble fibre content of
carrots, mostly in the form of pectin.
(more on beta-carotene here)

Because
beta-carotene in a carrot is fat soluble, actually adding a little butter (or
other fatty intake) when cooking helps the body make the best use of the
nutrient.

Vitamin A is a pale yellow primary alcohol derived
from carotene. It affects the formation and maintenance of skin, mucous
membranes, bones, and teeth, vision and reproduction. In addition dietary
Vitamin A, in the form of beta carotene, an antioxidant, may help reduce
the risk of certain cancers. However, beta carotene is much more than the
precursor for vitamin A.
Only so much beta carotene can be changed into vitamin A, and that which
is not changed contributes to boosting the immune system and is also a potent
antioxidant.

Antioxidants fight free radicals and help prevent them from causing membrane
damage, DNA mutation, and lipid (fat) oxidation, all of which may lead to
many of the diseases that we consider "degenerative." Exposure to sunlight,
cigarette smoke and air pollution, along with your body's every day cellular
activities, cause free radicals to form. It is free radical havoc that scientists
believe is pivotal in the development of age related degenerative diseases
such as cancer, cataracts, arthritis, heart disease an even asthma.
It is highly recommended that vitamin A be consumed from the diet rather
than from supplements (particularly in the case of beta carotene), because
vitamin A obtained from a varied diet offers the maximal potential of health
benefits that supplements cannot. The
richest
sources of preformed vitamin A are liver, fish liver oils, milk, milk products,
butter, and eggs. Liver is an especially rich source because vitamin A is
primarily stored in the liver of animals and humans.

Vitamin A is also found in a variety of dark green and deep orange fruits
and vegetables, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, spinach, butternut
squash, turnip greens, bok choy, mustard greens, and romaine lettuce. Beta
carotene is the most active carotenoid (the red, orange, and yellow pigments)
form of vitamin A, but it is inefficiently absorbed and converted to retinol
in comparison to vitamin A from animal sources. As you can see
Vitamin A intake is essential to human health.
(more on Vitamin A here)

Alpha carotene. Beta carotene is not the only
carotenoid. Often overlooked, and also found in carrots, is alpha carotene.
According to an article in NCI Cancer Weekly (Nov. 13, 1989), Michiaki Murakoshi,
who leads a team of biochemists at Japan's Kyoto Prefectural University of
Medicine, contends that alpha carotene may be more powerful than beta carotene
in inhibiting processes that may lead to tumour growth. Murakoshi indicates
that neuroblastoma (cancer) cells coated with carotenoids experience a drop
in N-myc activity compared to untreated cells. N-myc is a gene that codes
for cell growth-stimulating proteins and can contribute to cancer formation
and growth. Alpha carotene was found to be about ten times more inhibitory
toward N-myc activity than beta carotene. Murakoshi concludes that all types
of carotenoids should be studied for possible health benefits.

Phytochemicals which are found in vegetables,
fruits, and nuts, may reduce the risk of cancer, strokes, hinder the ageing
process, balance hormonal metabolism, and have antiviral and antibacterial
properties.
A phytochemical is a natural bioactive compound found in plant foods that
works with nutrients and dietary fibre to protect against disease. Research
suggests that phytochemicals, working together with nutrients found in fruits,
vegetables and nuts, may help slow the ageing process and reduce the risk
of many diseases, including cancer, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure,
cataracts, osteoporosis, and urinary tract infections. They can have
complementary and overlapping mechanisms of action in the body, including
antioxidant effects, modulation of detoxification enzymes, stimulation of
the immune system, modulation of hormone metabolism, and antibacterial and
antiviral effect.

"Phyto" is a Greek word that means plant and phytochemicals are usually related
to plant pigments. So, fruit and vegetables that are bright colours - yellow,
orange, red, green, blue, and purple - generally contain the most phytochemicals
and the most nutrients.

You can benefit from all of the phytochemicals and nutrients found in plant
foods by eating 5-9 servings of fruit and vegetables a day and eating more
whole grains, soya and nuts.

More than 900 different phytochemicals have been found in plant foods and
more will be discovered. These protective plant compounds are an emerging
area of nutrition and health, with new research reported every day. Current
research suggests that most fruit and vegetables contain phytochemicals and
that many fruit and vegetables contain a wide variety of phytochemicals.Read more about the action and benefit of
Phytochemicals, nutrients and Flavonoids -
click
here.

Anti ageing -Carrots are considered anti-ageing foods as
they are rich in beta-carotene, an antioxidant that fights free radicals.

Boost beauty: Carrots are rich in antioxidants and
vitamin A, both responsible for healthy skin, hair and nails

Dental health: Consumption of carrots improves the dental
health by clearing plaque. Biting on carrots increases the production of
saliva, hence balances the acid level which fight cavity-causing bacteria.

.Pigment
Power in Carrot
Colour

Have you ever seen a purple carrot? How about white, yellow, red or black? Most
people haven't, even though such carrots have existed for hundreds of years.
They are available in good health food stores, often called "Rainbow Packs".

Carrots were originally purple or red, with a thin root.
Orange carrots arrived from natural mutations of yellow forms, and then
by human selection and development, probably in the Netherlands. It is thought
that humans made selections from a genepool involving yellow rooted eastern
carrots, cultivated white-rooted derivatives of wild carrot (grown as medicinal
plants since classical times) and wild unselected populations of adjacent Daucus
Carota subspecies in Europe and the Mediterranean.
It is thought that Dutch breeders used a mutant seed
from North Africa to develop the orange variety into a stable and reliable plant
for domestication. (see the colour timeline here)

The first carrots were grown for
medicinal purposes, perhaps the medicine tasted good! There is lots more in the
history pages - here.

Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison suggests that pigments in these
colourful carrots, which taste just like regular carrots, may help prevent heart
disease and cancer, and reduce cholesterol. Studies examining the health
benefits of fruits and vegetables are revealing the disease-preventive powers of
the pigments that give plants their distinctive colours.

Orange carrots get their colour from beta carotene, a pigment the body converts
to vitamin A. Vitamin A deficiency, although rare in the United States, poses
a major public health problem in developing countries second only to protein
malnutrition.

According to the World Health Organization, vitamin A deficiency partially
or totally blinds nearly 350,000 children from more than 75 countries every
year. Roughly 60 percent of these children die within months of going blind.
However, vitamin A deficiency is preventable.

2. Spring and summer carrots are often of better colour than autumn and winter.

3. Carrots grown on sandy soils and soils high in organic matter produce
a higher colour than did carrots on silt loams.

4. Excessive water decreases the colour.

5. Reducing the number of daylight hours has reduced the colour.

Colour is more intense in the older portions of the root. It decreases from
the epidermis and centre toward the cambium, and from the top to the bottom.

Studies have been carried out in the USA on the differing properties of different
coloured carrots with the following results:

Orange Carrotscontain beta carotene, with some alpha-carotene, both of which are
orange pigments. High in Vitamin A essential for well-being, healthy eyes.
These carrots originate from Europe and the Middle East. Like all carrots
these are a good source of fibre, which is vital for healthy
gastrointestinal tracts and is linked to reducing cholesterol. Their
pre-dominant pigment is betacarotene; the orange pigment which is
converted by the liver to vitamin A which is important for healthy vision.
It forms rhodopsin, which the eye needs to see in dim light. This is
accomplished by raising the effectiveness of the light sensitive area of
the retina. Vitamin A also maintains the surface linings of the
respiratory, urinary, and intestinal tracts, and regulates the immune
system by helping white blood cells fight infections.

Yellow carrots contain xanthophylls and
lutene, pigments
similar to beta carotene, which help develop healthy eyes aid in the fight
against macular degeneration and may prevent lung and other cancers
and reduce the risk of astherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).
These came from the Middle East. The major pigment found in the yellow
carrots is xanthophyll which helps develop healthy eyes. Studies have
shown that intake of xanthophyll-rich foods are associated with a
significant reduction in the risk for cataract (up to 20%) and for
age-related macular degeneration (up to 40%) (Moeller, Jacques &
Blumberg 2000). Yellow Carrot page.

Red carrots are tinted by lycopene, (another form
of carotene) a pigment also found in tomatoes and watermelon; lycopene is
associated with the reduced risk of macular degeneration, serum lipid
oxidation, helps prevent heart disease and a wide variety of cancers including prostate cancer. Originally
from India and China. Red carrots contain the pigment known as lycopene
which has been associated with a lowered risk of prostate cancer in men
and heart disease. It also helps maintain healthy skin. Red Carrot page

Purple carrots (usually orange inside) have
even more beta carotene than their orange cousins, and get
their pigment from an entirely different class, the anthocyanins, these pigments
act as powerful antioxidants that protect key cell components, grabbing and holding on to harmful free radicals
in the body. Anthocyanins also help prevent heart disease by slowing blood
clotting and are good anti inflammatory agents. These originate from
Turkey, and the Middle and Far East. Purple
carrot page

White carrots lack any pigmentation, but do contain
other health-promoting substances called phytochemicals, natural bioactive
compounds found in plant foods that work with nutrients and dietary fibre
to protect against disease. One might say these
are the least healthy of carrots. They originate from Afghanistan, Iran,
Pakistan. These chemicals may be important in reducing the risk of
atherosclerosis , which is the build up of fatty deposits in artery walls.
White carrots are preferably used in baby foods to prevent them from
forming orange skin. White carrot page

Black Carrots contain anthocyanins, part of the flavonoid family with antioxidant
properties. Flavonoids are currently under investigation as anticancer
compounds, as free radical scavengers in living systems, as well as
inhibitors of LDL (the bad) cholesterol and the black carrot anthocyanins
are especially active.

The Black variety has anti-bacterial and anti-fungicidal
properties and oil made from its seed can help control scalp itchiness and
provides essential nutrients for hair growth. The ancient black carrot has
been making a comeback, not so much for culinary purposes but as a source of
natural food colorants.
These originate from Turkey, and the Middle and Far East. Black carrot page

Factors affecting taste/flavour

Carrot flavour and aroma are made up of sugars and terpenoids. The
natural sugars—sucrose, glucose, fructose, and maltose give carrots their
sweet flavor. The organic chemicals or compounds called terpenoids give
carrots their characteristic aroma.

The flavor of raw carrots is mainly due to sugars and volatile
terpenoids, with the latter accounting for most odor. There certainly are
other chemicals involved but these are the major players. Texture also
plays a very large role in perception of carrot flavor, and that's
primarily due to structural carbohydrates, primarily pectin compounds, but
not much is known about them, other than that they very widely across
carrot cultivars

Young carrots develop terpenoids first; these are volatile compounds,
meaning they are aromatic. Terpenoids can smell like pine, wood, citrus,
and turpentine. A carrot harvested too early can taste bitter and soapy.

As carrots grow, natural sugars develop through photosynthesis and are
stored in the root. When days are warm and nights cool, carrots make sugar
during the day, but don’t expend that sugar energy at night. In other
words, the carrot grows sweeter. (When nights are warm–60°F or greater,
carrots respire and burn but sugar energy.)

Carrots are sweetest when they mature at the time of year when the days
are warm and the nights are cool. As well, the best time to harvest a
carrot is at the end of a warm day as it finishes manufacturing new sugars
through photosynthesis.

In the life of a carrot, terpenoids-driven taste come first and, in
time, are balanced with sugar flavors. The sweet carroty flavor is the
perfect combination of terpenoids and sugars.

Cooking breaks down the terpenoids in carrots and at the same time
releases natural sugars. Cooked carrots will be sweeter than raw carrots.

Do not overdose - your
skin will turn yellow! - It's called Carotenemia!
One carrot (7 1/2" long) has 2025 RE of vitamin A, which is 203% of your Daily
Value. One pound of carrots has 1276% of your RDA for vitamin A. Eat too many
carrots in a day and you have probably saturated your body's ability to store
vitamin A over a short time and so it is showing up as an orange tint on your
skin.
Consume too many carrots or drink too much carrot juice and your skin, mostly the
hands, will turn yellowish-orange. There are two possible reasons why your
skin turns orange. Either your body is unable to process all the carotene
properly in the carrot juice you are drinking , or your liver is toxic. Either
way, the colour shows up in your skin.

If you are having difficulty processing carotene:

You may be drinking too much carrot juice at once. Your body can't really
assimilate more than 8-10 oz. of carrot juice at one time (taken on an empty
stomach). So if you're drinking a bigger glass than that, you could be causing
your own problem. Instead, try drinking no more than 8 oz. at a time. If
you're trying to add extra carrot juice to your diet (possibly because you're
fighting cancer and want the extra antioxidants), then drink 8 oz. of carrot
juice and wait at least an hour before ingesting more. Your body can handle
it at this rate and you shouldn't then be getting discoloured skin.

Carotenemia is the medical term for increased blood levels of the pigment
carotene. Do not be fooled this is not a sign of good health. It signals
excessive intake of carotene. This yellow-orange skin hue is a tell-tale
sign of a beta carotene overdose from this hefty carrot/juice consumption.
Beta carotene, along with other plant pigments generally called carotenes,
found in carrots and other colourful vegetables and fruits, are a boost to
your health - but like everything in life, only in moderation. Yes,
certainly eat plenty of vegetables, and in some cases, under strict medical
supervision, eat large quantities of fruit and vegetables in place of poorer
nutritional foods, and drinks.

Like many foods eaten in excess, carrots can produce unhealthy results too.
Carotene, the pigment that gives carrots and other yellow fruits and vegetables
their colour, can cause jaundice when consumed in excessive quantities. Some
people who have imbibed large quantities of carrot juice in a relatively short
time developed a yellow hue to their skin.

Though the yellowing of the skin from indulging in a heavy dose of carrots is
seldom serious and will disappear in a few days, if consumption ceases, continued carrot gorging can
cause medical problems. In 1974 one unfortunate English health advocate named
Basil Brown consumed 10 gallons of carrot juice and took 10,000 times the
recommended RDA of vitamin A in a period of 10 days. Those 10 days were the
unfortunate man's undoing, his skin turned bright yellow and he died of severe
liver damage, probably from the high intake of Vitamin A tablets.

Here is how the press reported the incident in 1974 - Extract from "The Times" - Times 15 February 1974

Carrot juice diet killed scientist

A health food addict who had been drinking up to eight pints
of carrot juice a day was bright yellow when he died, an inquest at Croydon.
Surrey, was told yesterday. Dr John Fabricius said he believed Mr Basil Brown'
aged 48, a scientific adviser, had died of vitamin A poisoning. Mrs Brenda Brown, of Hayes Lane, Kenley, the dead man's
wife, told Dr Mary McHugh, the coroner, that she had prepared the carrot
juice. "Nobody pre- scribed it. He just thought it was the right way to eat.
He also took vitamin A tablets."

A typical day's diet for her husband was: breakfast, carrot
juice and fruit ; midday, more carrot Juice and fruit; evening meal, eggs,
tomatoes, cheese. Dr J. Fabricius, the family's doctor, told the coroner that
he had warned Mr Brown against his addiction to vitamin A. He had warned Mr
Brown to stop taking vitamin A and had later sent him to a specialist who also
warned him.

Mr Brown had been '"an intelligent man but he
had a very low opinion of doctors ". Dr David Haler, a pathologist, said that
Mr Brown was bright yellow when he died. Vitamin A poisoning, like alcoholic
poisoning, produced cirrhosis of the liver. The inquest found that Mr Brown
had died from carrot juice addiction.

Eating carrots can become addictive:

EATING raw carrots may be as addictive as cigarette smoking, and every bit as
difficult to give up, according to research on people who develop serious
cravings for the vegetable. The phenomenon of 'raw carrot abuse' and the nervous
disorders that come in its wake are described today in the British Journal of
Addiction. Although it has been known since the early 1900s that excessive
carrot intake can turn the skin orange, the psychological effects of such
behaviour are only just coming to light.

One 35-year-old woman patient at a psychiatric clinic in Prague,
who was eating a kilogram of raw carrots a day, had to be treated in hospital
for 'neurological disturbance'. Another woman seen by the Ludek Cerny, author of
the study, started consuming huge quantities of carrots while pregnant with her
first child, and managed to stop for 15 years after the baby was born. The habit
resumed after a stomach upset. 'Her desire became so intense that she preserved
the peelings as a reserve supply. She resorted to purchasing and eating carrots
secretly,' the report says.

Switching to radishes helped her reduce her dependency, and she
now survives happily on a carrot-free diet.
The third case described in the study concerned a 40-year-old man who sought
help to give up tobacco. 'His wife had advised him that it was necessary to
replace cigarettes with something else and recommended . . . crunching some
vegetables.
'He was soon eating carrots constantly, consuming up to five bunches a day, and
as it was spring he put himself to considerable expense.' Unfortunately,
although the man has kicked the carrot habit, he has resumed smoking.

The author suggests that the psychological dependence arises not
only from the carotene contained in the vegetable, but possibly from some other
active ingredient. 'The withdrawal symptom is so intense that the afflicted
persons get hold of and consume carrots even in socially quite unacceptable
situations.'(source - http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/carrots-as-addictive-as-cigarette-smoking-1537344.html
)

"The Orange Man and other Narratives of Medical Detection"
(1965), a book by Berton Roueche reports the strange results of two cases
presented at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine.

"The patients came in with bright orange skins. It turned out that they had
been eating too many carrots (which contain carotene, a yellow pigment) and
tomatoes (lycopene). The result was orange skins. How many carrots and tomatoes
were too many? In one case it was 2 cups of carrots a day plus two tomatoes.
When the excessive carrots and tomatoes were eliminated from the diet, the
patient's skin returned to its normal colour with no ill effects."

Pro-vitamin A is converted to vitamin A in the body. It is true
that drinking more than five glasses of carrot juice per week may cause the skin
to yellow slightly. This is simply a manifestation of the toxins that the liver
is excreting. As an overall tonic and rejuvenator, carrot juice, in moderation,
can't be beat.

The good thing about beta-carotene overdosing through over eating carotene rich
foods is that the body doesn't convert the excess to vitamin A. If this were the
case, serious toxicity problems, such as liver damage, would occur. Instead, the
excess carotene accumulates over a period of weeks in the skin, primarily on the
palms of hands and feet, lending a yellow-orange hue. There has never been a
case where consumption of very large quantities of carotenoids has been shown to
be toxic.

Consumption of Vitamin A in the form of retinol (in which case it would have
come from an animal source) can be fatal if taken in large quantities. In the
early days of polar exploration some of the adventurers made the mistake of
killing polar bears and eating their liver. These explorers died as the result
of Vitamin A poisoning. Even a small portion of liver from a polar bear can
prove fatal because it contains so much Vitamin A in the form of retinol.
Carotenoids on the other hand must be converted by the body into vitamin A. When
the body converts what it needs the conversion process ceases and the body
stores the carotenoids until needed at a future date

The amount of carotene that causes notable skin colour changes varies, but one
study showed that approximately 50 milligrams daily led to discolouration in
about 10 days. The skin discolouration is completely harmless, except perhaps to
friends who may find this appearance startling.
While this orange skin is not a threat to health, the over-emphasis on one
source of beta carotene, from carrots/juice, is a concern. You are missing out
on health benefits from the family of carotenes and other phytochemicals by not
eating a variety of vegetables (such as tomatoes, kale, spinach, winter
squashes, broccoli and romaine lettuce) and fruit (including apricots,
tangerines, watermelon, cantaloupe and grapefruit).

Remember that while excess carotene can often cause this condition in children,
it is uncommon in healthy adults because their liver should function well enough
to convert the beta-carotene to vitamin A and eliminate the rest from the body.
As a rule, spinach juice won't turn you green, beets won't turn you red, carrots
won't turn you orange. We usually get yellow / orange when we are jaundiced
because our liver is congested or it is casting off toxins. The skin is one of
four organs of elimination in your body. Some toxins will come out there. (Did
you know the skin is the largest organ in the body?).

Carotenemia should not to be confused with lycopenemia , a similar condition -
an excess of lycopene in the blood. The skin takes on the red colour found in
tomatoes.

Allergic reactions to carrot and celery are very uncommon in the United States,
however,
reactions to carrots affect up to 25% of food-allergic individuals
in Europe, and are associated with cross sensitivity to celery, certain spices,
mugwort, and birch pollen. Several European researchers were recently able
to prove the allergenicity of carrot for the first time in a study from the
August Journal Allergy & Clinical Immunology. Barbara Ballmer-Weber,
MD, and colleagues from University Hospital in Zurich, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut,
Langen, Germany and the University of Vienna, sought to confirm sensitization
to carrot by conducting several different tests on 26 patients with a history
of allergic reactions to carrots.
Two food challenges were performed. The first was a double-blinded,
placebo-controlled food challenge (DBPCFC), where subjects were given two
different drinks: one was an active drink containing carrot and the other
was a placebo drink. The second food challenge performed was a spit and chew
test. The patients with a negative reactions in the DBPCFC chewed 5 g of
raw carrot and spit it out. If they did not experience a reaction, they chewed
and swallowed 5 g, then 10 g, and then 20 g of raw carrot. Skin tests and
in vitro blood tests were performed to check for the presence of IgE, the
antibody that produces allergic reactions. In vitro testing was also performed
to see if allergic sensitivity to birch pollen initially triggered the
sensitivity to carrots in these individuals.

In the first food challenge, researchers found that 20 patients reacted to
the carrot-containing drink but not the placebo. Four patients responded
to neither the carrot-containing drink nor the placebo drink. In the spit
and chew test, three of these latter four subjects noted no symptoms. The
fourth patient reported symptoms of oral allergy syndrome (itching of the
throat and mouth) after swallowing 5 g of raw carrot. Researchers found that
all patients who had positive DBPCFC's also had positive skin test results
to raw carrot, while all patients who had negative DBPCFC's had negative
skin tests and did not have subsequent reactions to the ingestion of carrot.
Additionally, all of the carrot-allergic patients also had birch pollen specific
IgE. However, in vitro testing of the serum from the carrot-allergic patients
revealed that allergic binding could not be blocked by birch pollen proteins.

For the first time researchers were able to confirm carrot allergy in 20
of 26 European patients using DBPCFC protocol with carrot. Although these
allergic patients produced IgE to both carrot and birch pollens, in vitro
testing seemed to discount the theory that exposure to airborne birch pollen
always precedes and predisposes allergic patients to the development of carrot
allergies.
The AAAAI is the largest professional medical specialty organization in the
United States representing allergists, asthma specialists, clinical
immunologists, allied health professionals and others with a special interest
in the research and treatment of allergic disease. Allergy/immunology specialists
are pediatric or internal medicine physicians who have elected an additional
two years of training to become specialized in the treatment of asthma, allergy
and immunologic disease. Established in 1943, the Academy has more than 6,000
members in the United States, Canada and 60 other countries. The Academy
serves as an advocate to the public by providing educational information
through its Web
site.
Click here to go there.

There is some evidence that people who are allergic to raw
carrots are not allergic to cooked ones. This is because when carrots are cooked, the
potentially allergenic proteins within them unravel, rendering them safe from
targeting by the immune system.
Read more here. Available to download in Word format
from the Museum here.

EDITOR'S NOTE: These studies were published in the peer-reviewed, scientific
journal of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

Carrots have been known (rarely) to contain toxic chemicals: recent
routine tests found unacceptably high levels of organophosphorus pesticides
(used to kill the carrot fly) in some carrots. Peeling carrots and slicing
off their tops removes virtually all of these residues. But beware that most
of the goodness in carrots is in the skins. (see below)

Are Carrots better for you eaten raw or cooked? The answer is
yes to both questions. Read on.

Are Carrots more nutritious in their raw state than when cooked?
- That's a very good question.

Opinions vary. Clearly a raw carrot has more goodness in it
when it is raw and therefore you would assume it is the healthiest way to eat
it. But unless the carrot is juiced then consumed, the body cannot break down
the goodness because of the cellular nature of the carrot. Tests have shown that
three percent of the total beta-carotene content is released from raw carrots
when consumed in raw pieces. When homogenized (pulped) 21% was released. Cooking
the pulp increased the accessibility to 27%. Addition of cooking oil to the
cooked pulp further increased the released amount to 39%. (European Journal
of Clinical Nutrition (2002) 56, 425–430- Estimation of carotenoid accessibility
from carrots determined by an in vitro digestion method, Hedren et al)

Boiling carrots before slicing them increases their anti-cancer properties by 25%, a new study has revealed.
Dr Kirsten Brandt, an agricultural scientist at Newcastle University, has discovered that the subtle difference between pre-slicing a carrot and boiling it whole could drastically affect the vegetable's nutritional powers.
Carrots cooked without being sliced have one quarter more of the anti-cancer compound falcarinol than those that are chopped up first.
An earlier study by Dr Brandt and colleagues at the University of Southern Denmark found that people whose diets were rich in falcarinol were around 30% less likely to develop cancer than those who ate none.
(Read full article here)

A substance called falcarinol that is found in carrots has been found to
reduce the risk of cancer, according to researchers at Danish Institute of
Agricultural Sciences (DIAS). Kirsten Brandt, head of the research department,
explains that isolated cancer cells grow more slowly when exposed to falcarinol.

This substance is a polyacethylen, soluble in water and therefore some
falcarinol is lost during boiling, but not all of it. In further experiments
(read here), it was found
that if they are boiled whole or steamed, the loss is approx. 30% (so there is
still 70% in the carrot), while if they are cut into small pieces before
boiling, the loss is much greater, more like 60% lost (40% retained in the
carrots).

When they are boiled (using any method) the carrots are easier to digest, so it
is likely that you take up more of the falcarinol in them (lose less of it in
the stools). Due to this it is not possible to say if boiled is better or worse
than raw, since a better bioavailability can easily make up for the 30% loss.

On balance, boiled (whole) is probably slightly better than raw, but that
the difference is small, so what is important is that people should cook the
carrots or not according to their preference rather that worry about science in
this regard! - Eat more carrots!!

It has been proved that boiling and steaming better
preserves antioxidants, particularly carotenoids, in carrots, than frying, though
boiling was deemed the best. The researchers studied the impact of the various
cooking techniques on compounds such as carotenoids, ascorbic acid and
polyphenols.

Deep fried foods are notorious sources of free radicals, caused by oil being
continuously oxidized when it is heated at high temperatures. These radicals,
which are highly reactive because they have at least one unpaired electron, can
injure cells in the body. The antioxidants in the oil and the vegetables get
used up during frying in stabilizing the cycle of oxidation.

Another study in 2002 showed that cooking carrots increases their level of
beta-carotene. Beta-carotene belongs to a group of antioxidant substances called
carotenoids, which give fruits and vegetables their red, yellow, and orange
colourings. The body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A, which plays an
important role in vision, reproduction, bone growth and regulating the immune
system.

The downside of cooking vegetables is that it can destroy some of the vitamin C
in them. The reason is that Vitamin C, which is highly unstable, is easily
degraded through oxidation, exposure to heat (it can increase the rate at which
vitamin C reacts with oxygen in the air) and through cooking in water (it
dissolves in water).

So in reality, unlike most other vegetables (though not all), carrots are
more nutritious when eaten cooked than eaten raw (except when juiced). Because
raw carrots have tough cellular walls, the body is able to convert less than
25 per cent of their beta carotene into vitamin A. Cooking, however,
partially dissolves cellulose-thickened cell walls, freeing up nutrients
by breaking down the cell membranes.

A good rule to follow is - "We normally cook things to make them taste
better; if they taste better we are more likely to eat them."

See the extract from the BBC video "The truth about raw
carrots" -
here.

An experiment carried out at the Institute of Food Research in 2009 showed that
the body can absorb about 5% of the beta carotene from a single carrot, whereas
when it is boiled, the carrot released 60% and blended and then boiled a
whopping 90%!!

So long as the cooked carrots are served
as part of a meal that provides some fat the body can absorb more than half
of the carotene. Also, it usual for Carrots to be cut into pieces and eaten
after boiling or steaming, but done in this way, half the proteins and soluble
carbohydrates will be lost so it is more advisable to cook them whole and
then cut up.

Experiments show that eating lightly-cooked carrots is much more beneficial
than eating raw carrots, which confirms the ancient wisdom in traditional
Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners have always
recommended that their patients eat lightly-cooked carrots in order to get
the best nutritional absorption. Recent research by Dr. Xiangdong Wang at
Tufts University shows that beta carotene can change in the human body into
a substance called retinoic acid, which is widely used to treat cancers.

Carrots contain a lot of beta carotene, which may help reduce a wide range of
cancers including lung, mouth, throat, stomach, intestine, bladder, prostate and
breast. Some research indicated beta carotene may actually cause cancer, but
this has not proven that eating carrots, unless in very large quantities - 2 to
3 kilos a day, can cause cancer.

In fact, a substance called falcarinol that is
found in carrots has been found to reduce the risk of cancer, according to
researchers at Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences (DIAS). Kirsten Brandt,
head of the research department, explains that isolated cancer cells grow more
slowly when exposed to falcarinol. This substance is a polyacethylen, the amount
of falcarinol is slightly higher when eaten raw, but when you cook them it
softens the tissues and makes it easier to get them out. You probably get more
when you eat them boiled or steamed.

Eating raw carrots can help relieve and dissipate stress! -
like chewing gum or a lot better.

Some vegetable cooking methods may be better than others when it comes to
maintaining beneficial antioxidant levels, according to a new study in the
Journal of Food Science, published by the Institute of Food Technologists.
Results showed that, depending on the vegetable, cooking on a flat metal surface
with no oil (griddling) and microwave cooking maintained the highest antioxidant
levels. Fruits and vegetables are considered to be the major contributors of
nutritional antioxidants, which may prevent cancer and other diseases. Because
of their high antioxidant levels and low-calorie content, consumers are
encouraged to eat several servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Researchers
at the University of Murcia and the University of Complutense in Spain examined
how various cooking methods affected antioxidant activity by analyzing six
cooking methods with 20 vegetables.

The six cooking methods were boiling, pressure-cooking, baking, microwaving,
griddling and frying.

Their findings showed the following:

• The highest antioxidant loss was observed in cauliflower after boiling and
microwaving, peas after boiling, and zucchini after boiling and frying.

• Green beans, beets, and garlic were found to keep their antioxidant levels
after most cooking treatments.

• The vegetables that increased their antioxidant levels after all cooking
methods were green beans (except green beans after boiling), celery and
carrots.

• Artichoke was the only vegetable that kept its high antioxidant level during
all the cooking methods.

Griddle- and microwave-cooking helped maintain the highest levels of
antioxidants, produced the lowest losses while “pressure-cooking and boiling led
to the greatest losses,” says lead researcher A. M. Jiménez-Monreal. “In short,
water is not the cook’s best friend when it comes to preparing vegetables.”

Editors note: This research is a
little suspect as they have found some changes in the chemical reactivity,
without any data indicating a correlation with the biological effect. They could
just as well have measured the salt content.

Goodness in the skin - most of the goodness is
actually in, or just below the skin. So peeling can take away some nutritional
value, some carotene and some trace minerals. Up to 15% of the carotene! In fact
the goodness diminishes as you approach the centre, so one could put up an
arguments for coring rather than peeling! Hence "baby" carrots are less
nutritious than whole ones. (They are shaved and abrasively tumbled)

The fact that a carrot's peel and its nearby flesh are the same colour is an
indicator that the two parts of the vegetable have a similar nutritional value.
The Phloem has a higher concentration of carotenoids than the Xylem, which is
evident from the relative colours of the two parts of the root.

The concentration of total carotenoids in various
sections of the root of the carrot was studied by extracting the
fat-soluble yellow pigment and estimating it colorimetrically. The
concentration had a general fall longitudinally from crown to tip
although there was a small increase just beyond half-way. The side roots
and the ‘rat-tail’ root had relatively very low concentrations of
carotenoids.

The pigmentation of xylem was always
less, and varied much more, than that of the phloem but the two were
positively correlated. Carotene comprised about 70% of the total
carotenoids in the xylem and this percentage was positively correlated with
depth of pigmentation. The concentration of carotenols in xylems of
different carrots was much more nearly constant than that of carotene.""

(above) Source - Distribution of carotenoids
in different parts of the carrot 1. V. H. Booth - Journal of the Science of
Food and Agriculture Volume 2, Issue 8, pages 350–353, August 1951

Carrots contained mainly hydroxycinnamic
acids and derivatives. Among them chlorogenic acid was a major
hydroxycinnamic acid. Phenolic content in different tissues decreased from
peel, phloem to xylem, while antioxidant and radical scavenging activities
in different tissues decreased in same order as the phenolic content and
correlated well with total phenolic contents. All phenolic extracts
presented stronger radical scavenging ability than pure chlorogenic acid,
vitamin C and β-carotene. Therefore, we suggest that phenolics could play
an important role in antioxidant properties in carrots and other
hydroxycinnamic derivatives such as dicaffeoylquinic acids in the extracts
may exert some strong antioxidant activities along with chlorogenic acid.
The higher level of phenolics and antioxidant properties in carrot peel
treated as the waste in the processing industry could be considered for
value-added utilization."

You just need to scrub them real well to get rid of the dirt. Some people think
that pesticides are concentrated in the peel of conventional carrots, but that's
not the case. Since carrots are grown underground, the chemicals get into the
soil and can seep into the entire veggie, so peeling won't necessarily prevent
you from consuming pesticides.

High temperature is usually not the best thing for many of the sensitive
compounds that are contained in our food and new research from the University
of Arkansas indicates that for carrots, at least, cooking may in fact increase
their goodness.

Carrots are one of the best sources of carotene which is a strong antioxidant.
But carrots also contain other phenolic compounds that are antioxidants.
Many people do not realise that numerous phenolic compounds are located in
the skin of fruit and vegetables, many of which are removed by peeling prior
to processing.

The Arkansas researchers were studying the effects of thermal processing
(cooking) on the antioxidant properties of carrots. The carrots (peeled or
non-peeled) were sliced and blanched (2 minutes or 20 minutes), cooked in
cans at 250 oC for 75 minutes and then stored for up to 4 weeks. In all cases
the antioxidant power of the processed carrots was greater - on average 34%
higher - than for raw carrots. During the first week of storage the antioxidant
properties continued to climb, before declining over the next 3 weeks in
storage. At the end of the 4 weeks the processed carrots still had more oxidative
power than raw carrots.

Heating vegetables, either during processing or cooking, is a way of reducing
enzyme activity that can lead to undesirable changes in colour, flavour and
texture. But the heat can also change compounds found in the raw food into
other chemically related compounds. The properties of these new compounds
may be different as was reported in this carrot cooking experiment.

Raw vegetables may be popular with many people, but this study shows that
at least some processed and canned vegetables can be just as nutritious as
raw ones. In areas where fresh produce is not available year round, or where
frozen vegetables are not practical, canned vegetables are an ideal option.

The nutritional value of fresh produce does decrease with time. According
to the University of Minnesota Extension Service, nearly half of some vitamins
may be lost within a few days of harvesting unless fresh produce is quickly
cooled or preserved.

Within 1 to 2 weeks, even refrigerated produce will continue to lose half
or more of some of its vitamins. The heating process during canning also
destroys from one-third to one-half of vitamins A, E, thiamin and riboflavin.
Once canned, losses of between 5 percent and 20 percent of these vitamins
may occur during a year.

The best advice then is to cook them but not too much this increases the
bioavailability of carotenoids in plant foods; and, absorption of vitamin
A from the diet is improved when consumed along with some fat in the same
meal. The next page continues the nutritional story concentrating on the
bodily effects of carrot consumption. Learn how carrots help prevent and
lower cancer risk, heart disease and stroke. Also the carrot's effect on eyesight
and stomach ailments.
Carrots truly are natures wonder drug.